Florida Round Up #2

Week two over here in sunny sunny Florida. We've had a mix of good and bad weather but let's just say it hasn't spoilt the fun.

Magic Kingdom

Best day. I loved every second. Got there just as the gates opened. Headed straight for the dwarf mine train. Loved it. Winnie the Pooh ride, carousel, it's a small world, Peter Pan and Dumbo were all amazing. After that we went to Tomorrowland. Went on the speedway, people mover and buzz lightyear which were fun. Then it was a case of waiting for the parade. It was great and I definitely held back some tears. Off to the shops and I bought some furry friends. Thumper and Doug from Up. Love those guys. Will defs becoming back!

Hollywood Studios

Arrived on another really hot day. Great! When we got there we had to wait for the gates were open. Once we were through we went straight for the tower of terror. Terrifying but really good. Then the Rockin' rollercoaster (I think that's what it's called). Insane and amazing I loved it. More sedate then with wandering and a few shows. The Great Movie Ride was fun and then the Indiana Jones show. Great and nice to do something different. Final thing of the day was the Muppet 3D spectacular which was cute. Really enjoyed it.

Discovery Cove

Amazing day. First stop, otters. Waited for half an hour. Finally they were in the water. So cute. They came right up to the glass. Exciting moment. Went down the lazy river. Relaxing. Giant thunderstorm hit. Fingers crossed dolphin was still on. It was and the sun came out. Best time ever. Dolphins were called Thelma and Luna and they were both adorable. After 9 months of practising I kissed the dolphin and got the photo and I rode in on Thelma, not very majestically.

Baseball

Not much more to say other than we went out for something to eat. Drove one and a half hours to Tampa. Watched Tampa Bay Rays. Came home. Fun times had by all.

Universal (again)

Went back to go on the Hulk rollercoaster. Insane. Went on the red Dragon Challenge rollercoaster. Also insane and very fast. Hogwarts Express over to the other park for another ride on Men in Black. Really good. Love that ride. Cheeky trip to Downtown Disney for a delicious ice cream! Yum!

Mini Golf

Winter Summerland mini golf. Cute courses. Fun golf. Loved it! 'Nough said.

July Favourites!

So this month has been pretty exciting. Fun parties, ending work experience and best of all going on holiday! And there have been a few things that I've really loved this month, like true love. The weather this month has also been great, not just here in Florida but also back home where the heatwave was more than just a weekly thing and more like the entire month. So let's get into it!

Vichy Detox Moisturiser

A few months ago I got two mini testers and it was one of those things that I didn't really notice was so great until I'd finished it. I hadn't used it in a couple of months and I noticed that my skin wasn't as clear and my scars were sticking around a lot longer. For me £15 for a moisturiser is a little bit excessive but the fact that it made my skin look so good made me need it back in my life, and I have to say I've never looked back. It has improved my skin in terms of scarring and although I still get breakouts my skin overall is much clearer. It doesn't make my skin greasy but it hydrates it nicely so when I wake up it feels soft and I'm just seriously in love with it.

Florida and Disney World

So far I've been here for a week and a half and it's been one of the best times ever! The mix of Disney and sun and general amazingness...I just can't explain how much of a good time I'm having. If you want to keep up to date with some of my antics my weekly round up posts are dedicated strictly to all things Florida. Some of my highlights have been Magic Kingdom and Discovery Cove (the dolphins were so cute it's one of the best moments ever kissing it's fishy lips!).

La Cachette! (Take Five)

Guess who's back, back again! You know you love it and just because I go to the same place doesn't mean I don't try to have different things, I do try! This time round there were some particularly yummy things on the menu and it was quite hard to choose what to have.

For starter I went for scallops with asparagus, jersey royal potatoes, a bacon crumb and a hollandaise sauce. I'm always loathed to go for the scallops because on the early bird menu it's a £3 or £5 surcharge I can never remember which I think is a bit excessive. But when I have it I'm always glad when I do because they're so delicious! This time round I got three huge scallops which were cooked beautifully and were soft and tasty and the bacon crumb was delicious as well and went really nicely with the scallops. I don't like jersey royals so I left those but the asparagus was nice and I like the fact that they were thin sticks as I normally have big, fat pieces of asparagus. The sauce was incredible! Creamy and tasty and it really brought everything together. Portion size was perfect and I couldn't fault it, other than the potatoes which isn't really a fault just because I don't like them.

My main was lamb epigramme with dauphinoise potatoes, pea puree, pimento and capers. This was super delicious but I think that I'd have preferred it as a starter rather than a main, I don't know why but I just do. The epigramme itself was like a fishcake but with lamb, shredded lamb coated in breadcrumbs. It was really nice but a little dry so I'd have preferred a thicker sauce to go with it. The potatoes were delicious! Crispy on the top but soft and buttery and they went really nicely with the lamb and moistened it up a little bit. The pea puree was very good and the was plenty of it. I've never properly tried pimento (pimentos, I have no idea) before and I was a real fan. They were vinegar-y and added a different flavour and texture to the dish which went well with the lamb.

Chocolate moooooousse! Loved this! To give it its full name it was a chocolate and salted caramel mousse with creme fresh jellies and roasted banana. The chocolate mousse was really creamy and full of chocolate flavour. When you hit the centre there was a soft salted caramel centre which went perfectly with the chocolate and there was just the right amount, except there was more mousse than one person could handle. If it was half the size then the portion would have been perfect. The banana was sweet and it had crystallised on the top so it had a crunch. The texture of the jellies was interesting and I liked the inclusion as it was a fresh yet creamy. I'd definitely polish this off all over again!

Seven Deadly Beauty Sins

I thought that this Monday I'd try something a little bit different and do a 'tag' type video and this one seemed to be fun and different so why not give it a go!

GREED: What is your inexpensive beauty item? What is your most expensive?
Looking through all of my stuff the most inexpensive thing I have is a single eyeshadow from Makeup Revolution. It was £1 and was the world's biggest impulse buy and I never use it. It's in the shade dirty cash and is just a shimmery dirty gold shade. You get a lot of product for your money but I found it didn't last long on the lid and just made me look tired. My most expensive thing is probably the Urban Decay Vice 3 Palette which was £42. I love this so much and get so much use out of it. I didn't buy it, I got it for christmas but I think that it was worth every penny.

WRATH: What beauty products do you have a love/hate relationship with?

I think that my love/hate relationship out of everything in my makeup collection is probably the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer. Sometimes I absolutely adore this product, it gets rid of my dark circles and makes me look wide awake. It can definitely be my under eye concealer of choice. However, some days it goes on bright oranges and creases really easily and if anything enhances my dark circles. It's like a never ending battle but the fact that sometimes it looks amazing always keeps me going back for more.

GLUTTONY: What are your most delicious beauty products?

Mmmm...when I was younger I had THE most delicious products. I had three of the Mary-Kate and Ashley roll on lip products. I can't remember two of them but one of them was a mint chocolate flavour and it was the best. It sounds a bit weird but I just used to roll it on and lick it straight off, rather than the lip gloss type thing it was supposed to be. Now I'd say my L'Oreal Lip Gloss in Miami Vice is delicious because the smell is great. It's a bit like strawberry laces and it doesn't taste of anything but it's nice to have that smell right under your nose all day.

SLOTH: What beauty products do you neglect due to laziness?

I like to think that I make a conscious effort to do everything beauty/skincare related but sometimes when I'm really tired I cannot be bothered to go through my entire skincare routine. That means that eye cream and spot treatment get neglected. But that rarely ever happens as it theory both only take about 30 seconds.

PRIDE: What beauty product gives you the most self confidence?

I know it's not a product but a good smokey eye makes me feel good. Dark browns, maybe with a bit of colour, black liquid liner and then plenty of liner in my waterline and tightline with lashing of mascara. My Urban Decay Vice 3 and Naked 3 Palettes provide me with some of the best tools for a good night on the town eye and with my Mac 217 I feel great!

LUST: What products are you currently lusting over?

At the minute, as last week's American Wishlist will show, there are plenty of things that I'm currently lusting over. There are three things that are definitely top of my list though. I really want to get my hands on the Clinique Pop Lipstick in Melon Pop not just because of the rave reviews but because of the gorgeous colour. I'm waiting until I go on holiday because it's cheaper and I'm all about saving the pennies. The two Tarte products I can't wait to buy is the Amazonian Clay blush, probably in tipsy, and the Lights, Camera Splashes Mascara.

ENVY: What items would you most like to receive as a gift?

I'd pretty much like to receive anything as a gift! Moving on from beauty I REALLY want a pistachio green Kitchen Aid for all of my baking needs but the makeup item I'd really like would be a Lorac Pro Palette. I've heard that it's really hard to get and I think that it would be right up my street. Maybe I'll be able to find one in America, who knows!

Florida Round Up #1

Welcome to the first Florida round up! We've only been here for a few days and it's been amazing so far! This week was a Universal week because we're not starting Disney parks until tomorrow. So, I'm going to do a run down of the days and a bit of what happened each day. Let's go!

Monday- Downtown Disney

Wandering around. Taking in all the disney. Trying a mango black iced tea lemonade from Starbucks. Loved it. Made our way to the 'disney hub' Had mini breakdown. Too much disney merchandise. Reined self in. Only bought some Minnie Mouse ears. More shopping and browsing. Home time.

Tuesday- Universal Studios

First stop Harry Potter. Escape from Gringotts ride was amazing and a little terrifying. Wander around Diagon Alley. Simpsons world and Simpsons ride. Waste of space and came off feeling sick. Lard Lad Doughnuts tasted very good. Animal show was great and cute. ET to shelter from the rain which was also cute. Waited around for Woody Woodpecker rollercoaster which was okay. Disaster next which was long and drawn out but good in the end. Home time.

Wednesday- Islands of Adventure

Back to Harry Potter world but this time for the Hogwarts Express. Amazing. Went on one of the two HP coasters and it was insanely good! Went on the actual HP ride and I've never been so terrified. Hated it, never again. Wandered around. Jurassic Park ride. Good but shut eyes at the scary part. Dr Seuss land led to a torrential downpour. Got the Hogwarts Express back to Universal and went on the Men in Black ride. That was surprisingly very good. Home time.

Thursday- Shopping

Florida Mall. Sephora trip. Upcoming haul. Very warm day. Hurting feet.

How to: Makeup Storage

I've never done a makeup storage post before and when I was thinking of ideas for these Thursday 'how to' posts (which at the minute are few and far between) I thought that this would be the perfect time. It's taken a while for me to get my storage to get to a place where I can get to everything easily and use it all. I don't think that I've got that much stuff, but this kind of thing is quite subjective, but storing it in this way instead of just lying in the bottom of a drawer is much better.

The base of my storage is a drawer, whether it's at uni or at home it's always stored in a drawer of some kind, and it has to be a largish one otherwise it won't all fit. To put all of my products in I use small gift box type boxes that fit in the drawer but are big enough to fit in all of the makeup items in. I played around with what was in what box before I was happy with it. For example the concealers were where the lipliners are now but it just didn't work because some were smaller and kept falling into the box and were hard to get at. The lipstick holder is the bottom of a Mac gift box and I really like the way it looks now it has more lip products in. When there was less of them it didn't work as well because they used to fall over but now they're packed in they don't budge.

Lip products and powder

Blushers, bronzers and Mac paint pot

Eye pencils and eye brow pencils

Brow mascaras, mascaras and eye shadow sticks

Concealers

Foundations, primers and lipliners

Pigments and cream eyeshadows

Single Eyeshadows

Eye shadow palettes

Brushes

Naansters!

This is a bit of an usual post for a Tuesday but it's also quite exciting. I was contacted by the people at Naanster to see if I would review some of their products and I was all for that so fast forward a few weeks and here we are. There were three flavours that I received, I think that there might be a vegetarian one as well, and they were balti chicken, chicken tikka and beef madras. The concept is that they are a quick snack, or lunch which is when I had them, that are easy to eat on the go. All you need is a microwave (I know that sounds a bit weird but what I mean is that you don't need a plate or to assemble anything) and in 90 seconds you have a delicious curry wrap. Inside they have the main curry with rice and mango chutney all handily wrapped in a naan bread.

My favourite out of the bunch was the chicken tikka one because it was packed full of sauce and flavour. None of them were particularly spicy but this one didn't have much if any which I was totally fine with. As soon as I took the first bite I could taste the mango chutney and it was delish! I think that the sauce made it. It wasn't too much that it dripped out of the sides, which is actually true of everything because it's really easy to eat and nothing awkwardly drops out. Some of the things I found with all of them was that there were random peas in it, and when I say random I mean that there were about three in every wrap. To me there wasn't really any point in them being there. The chicken balti wrap was a lot like the tikka one but it had less sauce and a little bit more of a kick to it. The beef madras one was very nice and definitely the spiciest of the bunch. What I found that it lacked however was a change in textures as the mince was the same as the rice, etc, whereas the chicken ones had a lump of chicken which made it more interesting to eat. The naan breads are the unsung heroes of this product. They hold everything but  are super soft and doughy in the centre which is what I think a naan bread should be like. The only problem was that because they were folded over the part where the folds connected were very thick and became very hard in the microwave which were a bit stiff to eat sometimes but weren't too last.

America Wishlist

It's finally here. As you read this post I'll be enjoying my first day in Florida and it's so exciting. As I'll be in america for three weeks I might as well take advantage of the different makeup that the yanks have to offer. So, to keep myself on track I've written a list of everything that I'd really like to get so that I don't get overwhelmed when I'm there, which I most likely will.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blushes- Tarte is one of the brands that I'm most excited about testing out and the blushes are what I'd like to get my hands on first. I've been looking on the Sephora website and all of the shades look incredible I don't know how I'm going to choose but going on recommendations and blogger favourites Tipsy seems to be a good shout. They look so incredible I can't wait to try it!

Lights, Camera, Splashes Tarte Mascara- Another Tarte product that I'm excited about. I'm in serious need for a new mascara and I've heard good things about this one. I want to go for the waterproof version because this will be the best on holiday and I've never had one before so it would be good to try one out. The packaging is also insanely great!

Clinique Pop Lipstick in Melon Pop- I've heard so many good things about this range and Melon Pop seems like the colour I'd use the most.  A slap on peach-y pink, it will fit nicely into my collection and although I can get it over here it's much cheaper in the states.

Lorac Pro Palette- This is more of just a dream because I know how hard it is to get hold of. The rave reviews make this a sought after product and I think that this palette would be right up my street. There are beautiful shades and it's so thin and travel friendly that I just want it so much! I won't make it my holiday mission to find it but I'll have a look and if it's there I'll snap it up straight away.

Round Up #7

Another week, another round up and it hasn't been the most exciting week in the world because it's all been about the holiday prep. I've been bulk writing blog posts and taking what seems like hundreds of pictures so that I can have some chill time. Although starting from next Friday there will be a Florida Round Up where I will be rounding up (obviously) everything that I've done that week!

Summer is here!

We may have had that heatwave but the good weather seems to be here to stay and I am loving it. Winter may be my favourite season of the year but I when the sun shines I am a summer fan and event more so when there's ice cream around. Ice cream normally isn't my sweet treat of choice but when the sun comes out I'm all about the mint choc chip or a 99. Yum!

Holiday prep

If you read my post yesterday then you'll know all of the things I'll be doing before going on holiday and my week has just been consumed with getting everything done before I get on that plane. As I'm writing this blog post I've still not packed but I've written a list of all the things I need and packing will probably come tomorrow. I find that if I pack too soon then I forget what's gone in so it's just easier to do it a couple of days before.

Exciting foods

You'll find out more about this next Tuesday but I had the chance to try a delicious lunch snack called a Naanster. But more about that on Tuesday, I just wanted to mention it as it has been part of my week.

How to: Prep for Holidays

It's three days. Only THREE days! I seriously cannot wait I am way too over excited. If you don't know what I'm talking about, on Sunday I'll be on a place heading across the pond to go to Disney World in Florida. Eeek! I'm going to be pushing all the kids to get out of my way to I can hug the characters, get excited about the rides, it's going to be amazing. But I'm not here to go on and on about how unbelievably excited I am for my holiday, oh no, I'm here to share how I prepare for a break, be it mini or a full blown trip.

1. Make sure you have everything

I know, it sounds pretty obvious but it's very important. A week before you go try and make sure that you have everything that you will need in your possession. That way if you realise that there's something that you are missing you still have plenty of time to go and get it. Otherwise if you leave it all until the night before and you notice you're missing something vital you are basically screwed, unless it's something like flip flops, there seems to be thousands of them in the airport. It also means that you can start packing things up a little bit at a time. I can't really pack all in one go. It's a bit boring and I ALWAYS seem to forget something. But by packing things up a little bit at a time I make a list of everything I put in and I'm less likely to forget anything.

2. Do your body prep

To me there is nothing better than a good old pamper sesh, especially if it's for an event or a holiday type thing. Me and my mum always have our toenails and fingernails done before we go on our jolly's (Minx on the toes and Shellac on the fingers) so that we won't have to worry about them when we're away and a bath for me is a must. It means that I can pamper myself head to toe by exfoliating, shaving all of the relevant areas and having a nice deep hair wash. Oooh and maybe even a face mask! It means that not only am I squeaky clean from top to bottom but I'm also completely sorted for the plane and if I can't be bothered to have a shower straight away when we get there it doesn't matter as much.

3. Scope out the area

As soon as we'd booked the holiday we had bought a guide book, I was looking online at where all the closet shops I wanted to visit were and we can't stop doing a virtual tour of the villa. We want to be as prepared as we can before we get there because I personally couldn't think of anything worse than arriving at our destination, not having a clue where anything is and having to explore whilst we are there. I'd prefer to know so that we can still have an explore but we'll have more of an idea what and where things are.

4. Plan, plan and plan some more

We have a spreadsheet of our plans and what we're going to do morning, afternoon and evening. They aren't set in stone but they give us an idea of what kind of thing we'll be doing each day so that we won't be missing out. Some thing are definite, like swimming with dolphins or anything else that we've booked but the other things are more of a guideline. When you're an indecisive family like mine you need to have something planned out otherwise we'd never get anything done and there'd probably be disagreements and arguing over where we were going. So for us some form of planning works best.

Las Iguanas! (Take Four)

I held back on this post for a few weeks because I went to Las Iguanas two Tuesdays in a row for various birthday celebrations. The last time I went I did the standard main and dessert thing but this time I wanted to try out what tapas they had to offer, and luckily I had a friend that had the same thought. I said in my last post that their choice of main is very limited and all a bit same-y but the same cannot be said for the starter/tapas side of the menu. There is such a variety and it's just the right size so there's plenty to choose from but you're not over-faced. We decided to go for three in the end, nachos with chilli, empanadas with chicken???, the little pastry things with lamb and a side of curly fries.

Let's start with the nachos. They were incredible. It was a nice large portion that we still managed to polish off between the two of us and everything was in proportion. It came with sour cream, cheese, salsa and guacamole and we added the chilli for something like another £2. The chilli was really nice and I think that if I was just having that as a sharing starter then I'd have it again but in this situation the chilli wasn't a necessity, but it was a nice little addition. The nachos themselves were large and crunchy, well salted and overall just super tasty.

The spicy chicken quesadillas were very tasty but I think that it may have been my least favourite dish of the bunch. Not to say that it wasn't still good but compared to the other things that we had, it just lagged behind a little. The inside flavour was very good but overall I found it a little bread-y with not much filling. The portion size however was great as there were four meaning both of us got two each, which isn't too shabby.

These little pastries of wonder were seriously out of this world. They were the tender lamb empanadas and on paper to me it's like, yeah okay sounds alright, but they were so amazing that I think this was my favourite of all the dishes. The lamb tasted like lamb, obviously, and with the cranberry sauce it was very wintery but it still had a very fresh flavour. The pastry was thin and crisp but sturdy enough to be able to hold in all of the wonderful goodness that was inside. I can't explain how good this was so you're just going to have to go and try it for yourself. 

These curly fries were incredible. I mentioned them in my last Las Iguanas post as they came as a side with my meal and I'd say this time they were even better. They came with an aioli dip (which I also had last time) and neither of us two tapas sharers could get enough. It was creamy and garlic-y and writing about it now is making me want to eat a whole bucket of it. They weren't a bad price either and the portion size was pretty much the same as the other actual dishes.

Overall everything was delicious and the tapas definitely wins outright in this food establishment!

Makeup I'm Taking Across The Pond

If you didn't know I'm going on holiday on Sunday and I'm so excited. Florida here I come! So I thought I would take this opportunity to take you through what makeup I'll be taking with me across the pond. I'm going for three weeks but I'm not taking a huge amount with me because I'm planning on have a little splurge when I'm over there (when in America, buy what the American's buy). Also I'm so proud that I managed to fit the entire contents of my makeup bag in this photo and it not look awful, snaps for me!

Foundation wise I'm not planning on wearing foundation very much but just in case I'm taking my L'Oreal Infallible Matte Foundation in 11 Vanilla. It hasn't got any SPF in it but that doesn't really matter as I'll be creaming up my face anyway. I doubt that I'll really be using it that much but it's there in case I have a really bad skin day and want to look nice for Mickey and Minnie. My L'Oreal True Match Concealer in 02 Vanilla will be my concealer of choice, good on blemishes, redness and under the eye so in this compact little kit it fits in well. As far as powder goes I only have one in my life and that's the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 002 Pink Blossom. What more can I say, it's cheap and does at great job at stopping shine.

Base down for my brows I'm hoping to have them tinted just before I go so all I'm going to need is something light like my L'Oreal Brow Artist Plumper. It thickens, and gives a nice colour to my brows without being too clumpy. Eyes eyes eyes and it's all about the Kiko shadow sticks in 05 and 21. I'm seriously in love and I don't think I can go back to a pot cream shadow ever again. Swipe and done. I'll probably buy a palette when I'm out there so I'm just going to take my Too Faced Natural Eyes Palette. It has everything I need and goes really well with the Kiko sticks. I'll also be taking my L'Oreal Super Liner Superstar for more of a night look. It's all about the Rimmel Kohl Kajal in Jet Black and my Seventeen Back Lash Mascara, as I'll hopefully be buying one when I'm out there.

Soap and Glory Solar Powder Bronzer. Need I say more. So good and I can amp it up with the darker side if I get a bit of a tan. Blush wise it's going to be Mac Satin Blush in Immortal Flower as it's just so easy to wear and very pretty on the cheeks. Highlighter will be my Maybelline Golden Beige eyeshadow but I think I might purchase one when I'm out there because I'm coming to the end of this one now.

My L'Oreal Lip Gloss in Miami Vice will be coming with me as I think it will be the perfect holiday colour and I love the way it feels on the lips. My Mac Lipstick in Kinda Sexy will be making an appearance if I want something a little more nude as it's so easy to wear and Mac Shy Girl will be my slap on peachy nude shade, but I'll have to make sure I keep it somewhere cool otherwise it'll melt.

Round Up #6

Another great week, so let me share with you!

L'Oreal lip gloss

I'd been eyeing this up nearly everyday for about four weeks before I finally look the plunge and made the purchase. I think that I was hesitant to get it was 1. my slight lack of funds and 2. the fact that it's a lip gloss and we've never really got on that well. But with L'Oreal being on 2 for £12 and my need for another L'Oreal Superliner I felt that it was a sign. It's in the shade Miami Vice, a slight red-y pink in the tube but much pinky pink-er on the lips. What drew me to this was the neon like colour and the fact that when I swatched it, it left a stain on my hands, and I do like a good stain. For me it lasts really well on the lips considering I eat up lip products like they're a delicious cake and I love that after a few hours it leaves a stain on your lips that doesn't budge for the rest of the day and doesn't need much touching up. I think that for my holiday this is going to be a great 'slap on and go' kind of product that I won't need to carry around with me. I may have to try some more out from the range.

Afternoon Tea

Last weekend was my mum's birthday party and she decided that she wanted afternoon tea for all of her family and friends. I think in the end there was just under 60 people that came and we catered for them all. Yep, we made ALL of the food. We had; onion tartlets, salmon blinis, sandwiches, scones, eclairs, mini lemon meringue pies, chocolate meringues, shortbread biscuits, mini Victoria sponges and coffee and mini walnut cakes. Phew, I think that's it. We should have started the production earlier than we did but hey ho, Friday and Saturday were a frenzy of flour, ovens and let's face it panic. But it was all worth it because everything was delicious and it was such a nice day! The weather really helped as well. If the rain had made an appearence, let's just day we'd have been slightly screwed space wise!

Work Experience

Well you'll be glad to know that you won't be hearing about my work experience exploits anymore seeing as though I seem to mention it in every single post I've written since I started. I went with the intention of doing a week and here I am five weeks later and a truck load of articles under my belt. Wooo! Just call me pro journo. I've had such a good time and I think that it's made me realise that this is what I want to do when I finish uni, which is great because I was getting worried for a while that I'd just come out with an alcohol addition, debt and more fancy dress than you could shake a stick at!

How to: Warm Weather Face

I've been doing a lot of posts on long lasting make-up related topics lately but I feel like with this recent weird weather I've learnt a lot about my skin that I didn't know before. For the last few weeks I got myself into a good steady make-up routine that features products to help de-oil my face. All of this was going fine and not many touch ups were needed but in the last week my skin is having such a greasy moment and I have no idea why. When we had the mammoth heatwave my skin was just as normal but now when we've gone into what feels like monsoon weather it's gone completely odd. This means that I've had to figure out different ways to combat the grease.

First off I used tissue paper to blot away the oil every couple of hours. I know that in my how to: oily skin post (read here) I mentioned that I used blotting paper but I've lost it so toilet roll will have to do. My oil is the thing on my face that gets the worst so it's not a surprise that my make-up also lasts the least on that area too, 

Now we get into something that I am notoriously bad at...make-up touch-ups. I always forget to take top up products out with me and to be perfectly honest I just can't be bothered lugging something else around in my bad. However, I've been trying to take concealer and powder with me, concealer to cover any red patches where my foundation has rubbed off and also on any spots that the oil has cause and powder to de-shine the oily zones before they get too bad.

Something that is my absolute lifesaver on a daily basis is energising spray. I use the Body Shop Vitamin C one and it works wonders. Not only does it cool the face when it's a bit too hot it also calms down any oily areas and mattifys them slightly making it easier to apply powder. The best way to completely get rid of any oil (or at least most of it) is to use of all these things that I've mentioned. First blot your face with tissue or blotting paper, then spray it with an energising spray and finally do any touch-ups that are needed. This way you just aren't caking up your face by putting product on top of oil, you're making sure your base is clear.

George's! (Take Two)

Oooh look, back again. You can tell that I like a place when at every opportunity I'll go back, and here we are. Anyway, George's, woo! Go Nottingham. I know I said it in my last post on this place but if you ever visit the wonderful Notts you need to give this place a visit. It's something that is quirky and different but it offers familiar food. Let's get into it!

I went for something completely different when it came to my main, cheese and onion pie. Now for someone that doesn't like cheese that might be a bit of an odd choice but one of my housemates makes a cheese and onion pie everyone once in a while and when she can't finish the crust she'll give me a bit and it tastes so good! That's why I decided to give it a go and I have to say I really enjoyed it! It wasn't overly cheesy yet it gave it a lovely flavour. I love onions as well so that made it super delicious. The only problem I have with the pie was that at the end I found a giant lump of non-melted cheese, but that's just because I chose a cheese pie and I don't like cheese so whose fault is that really! The chips were as good as they were last time, soft on the inside and crispy on the outside but the beans were literally just juice and not really worth eating.

I promise that next time I'll have a different dessert but here we are and you can click here to read my thoughts on these delicious doughnuts.

The Primer of Dreams!

I've done it. I've found the primer I've been searching for for so long. For about the last 12 months I've been on the hunt for a face primer that was mattifying but not 'pore clogging' and that was light but not like rubbing pure silicone on my face. In comes the Rimmel Lasting Finish Primer, light, creamy and oh so great. This has been my saviour when I've wanted my makeup to last all day without much touching up. In a morning I spray my face with my Body Shop Vitamin C Face Spray, apply a layer of this and then get to work. I've previously used both cream and silicone based primers and when I was first introduced to them I was all about the cream. Then one of my friends gave me a mini Benefit Pore-fessional and I was hooked. I loved the way that it felt and looked on my skin but when that ran out I couldn't bring myself to buy a full size one (although my mum wears it so maybe I could give it a cheeky steal). I then moved onto the Body Shop Instablur but I have to to say it wasn't for me. I enjoyed it during the 'honeymoon period' but it was too slippy and it didn't spread around my face properly.

This is why I love this primer so much, it covers the whole face without that much product and it doesn't lie when it says it extends foundation wear for up to eight hours because it really does. My love for this primer has made me want to try out some other items from this range. I know that the concealer has some good reviews and last year the foundation was popular to so maybe watch this space!

Round Up #5

Sunny Weather

Now although some days it has been a little bit too warm, I've enjoyed looking outside and seeing the sunshine. I've also liked cracking out the summer wardrobe, shorts strappy tops and all things brightly coloured. It's got me really excited for my holiday which is only less than three weeks away!

The world's best primer

You'll be hearing more about this on Monday but I thought I'd give it a mention here because this week it's really changed my life. With having work experience and sometimes doing stuff afterwards on a night I need my makeup to last me 12 hours plus without much touching up. I've already spoken about my love for the L'Oreal Infallible Matte Foundation before but in the sun it's all a bit too heavy. So by using the Rimmel Lasting Finish Primer it turns my L'Oreal True Match Foundation into a much longer lasting base because on its own it sometimes gets a bit too oily too quickly. But again more about this on Monday.

Food

So. Much. Food. Need I say more. I have a back log of food posts to go up (which is good as it means I can cover the weeks that I'm in Florida). There will be quite a few repeats especially in the next few weeks so don't hate me but I did have different dishes so it should be alright. Tomorrow is also my mum's birthday party and we're having an afternoon tea style buffet which I'm really excited about but no doubt that will be in next week's round up!

How to: Work Experience

If you didn't know I'm doing work experience (because I don't mention it enough!). So I thought that I'd compile this handy little how to so that if you go on work experience then you'll be prepared because I don't think I really was.

1. Suitable clothing

Before I started I literally had one pair of smart black trousers and a couple of shirts. It was getting to the point where in my second week I'd exhausted my smart wardrobe so much I'd worn everything three times. I still only have one pair of trousers but I now I have a selection of long and short sleeved shirts as well as a couple of skirts. I'd suggest having one pair of smart black shoes and the a smart pair of sandals, something that I currently need in this stupid heat!

2. Take makeup with you

These past few weeks have been the prime opportunity to test out some long lasting makeup products so I've been testing out primers and eyeshadow sticks to see which stays on my face the longest. But the reason why I'm saying to take some makeup with you is not just in case you get a bit shiny or some concealer rubs off but because anything could happen. For example, last week my dad was driving me to work experience and I was drinking a smoothie in the car. The smoothie had frozen a bit and was really thick and hard to get out. Cue an awkward brake along with a big attempt at getting out smoothie and what do you get? Smoothie all over the face. Then follows having to wipe all of my makeup off and now having anything with me to reapply. Don't make the same mistake I did, take makeup with you...and don't drink smoothies in a car.

3. Prepare

Make sure you know what you need to do with your work experience before you go. In the sense of if you need to log it, like I did for uni, and if you need to get a form signed. It took me until my second week to find out where I needed to log my work experience and then it needed to be approved. Also I've only just found out where the appraisal form I need to get filled in is, and I finish next week. Don't be like me, be prepared.